Tuesday, January 21, 2014

WEAK BOTTOM AND HEAVY TOP

Why and how does the system fail to deliver goods very often of late? Law and order is no exception to this bizarre development. The less said the better in terms of internal security, more specifically with extensive coverage and endangering threats to local citizens and foreign nationals residing in any part of the country from outfits such as naxalites and terrorists both from within and from across the borders. What a frequency and how stunning the way the things are unfurling day by day? Hardly a month passes without any major outbursts of violence and deaths caused in some major centre or other. The whole nation shivers at passing of each fortnight or month because anything can happen to anyone anywhere in any ways. Intelligence gathered properly or otherwise in the field, villages, towns, district, state, metros and forwarded to higher-ups in the HQrs is often dealt with routinely and passed on to the users and decision makers from time to time methodically mainly to fill up the gaps or justify their existence. Looking to the usage of their data over a period of time the gathering functionaries take their jobs not very seriously. Such a to and fro communication loses its significance or validity invariably leading to a situation wherin both the levels lose sight of an emergency and fail to deliver the service for which they have been engaged and employed by the government. Similar is a position obtaining with the intelligence agencies of defence forces and Intelligence Bureau within India as well as Research and Analysis Wing meant for external intelligence across the borders and foreign countries. Data Collection, scrutiny, assessment, and communication to layers both vertical and horizontal have not been streamlined and standardised from the point of view of its utility in the ultimate analysis. Reliability, accountability-warranting action in the short as well as long run are also found wanting unfortunately. Terror attacks in Mumbai on 26th November 2009 is a grim reminder of such a situation prevailing in the country. It is no doubt a great eye-opener to those in charge of internal security. They have learnt at last but of course at a heavy cost the fact that there is a terrible mismatch or lack of requisite coordination between defence personnel and civil authorities on the one hand and similarly within the civil hierarchy among the different agencies being the equals in rank and discipline. Over the years i.e three-four decades down the line in the administration of the country the best in the All India Services reach and occupy the very top positions in the government of India at Delhi purely on the basis of CR dossiers cleverly and consciously built up over the years by the careerists while the most deserving and devoted or committed to their consciousness and Constitution of India, genuinely interested in selfless service of the people are shunted badly and sidelined on some flimsy, rather fabricated or discriminated ground which goes unnoticed in the public. The action and decision of some selfish heads of state governments and their yes men / henchmen is, more often than not, challenged rarely by the regulators or the adjudicating authorities. Who is to check this trend and encourage or ensure the posting of such real and able leaders / individuals to the top positions in Delhi?. If such a trend is not achieved in the near future, the third-ratters would certainly continue to rule the roost for a long time. It is rather strange that only the political executives namely the Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Maharashtra Chief Minister Deshmukh and his Home minister R.R.Patil have been sacked while none of the officials from PMO, Union Home Ministry, Defence Ministry nor from State PHQ or Secretariat have been touched or rebuked for their commissions and omissions. No action or less action or late action or no-action at the field has been investigated or commented upon openly till date. Absence of coordination and support from various quarters was pitiably manifested during the crisis period – every responsible official found busy with his evening programmes as usual. It indeed reflects the inherent qualities of the career-oriented individuals rather than those of duty-conscious or motivated personnel to public calls.

Water for all?

Mr. R.K. Sivanappan, the former member of Tamil Nadu Planning Commision revealed in an article on October 20, 2012 the following facts from a reliable source. India’s share in physical area of the world is; 2.5 % India’s share in water resources of the world: 4% World population: 7 Billion India’s population: 1.21 Billion (17%) World’ annual rain fall is: 840 MM India’s annual rainfall is : 1150 MM But India’s per capita water availability is only 2000 cubic meter as agaist the world’s average of 6000 cubic meter and Tamil Nadu’s share of only 650 cubic meters. Wherever the annual per capita availability is less than 1000 c.m the state is supposed to be deficit as per world bank estimates. I India right now the extent of barren land is about 350 - 400 lakh hectares which need irrigation facility. The forest coverage is only 21% as against the ideal figure of 33% which can enhance the availability of rainfall. Total number of big dams in the world is 45000 out of which 46% is in china, 14 in USA and only 9% in India. If the ivers are linked in the country the total availability will increase by 410 lakh hectares out of which 250 lakh ha will be available over the surface and 160 lakh ha will recharge underground resources. If the rivers flowing into the Arabian Sea in Kerala and Karnataka can be diverted the states of Tamil nadu and Karnataka will be benefitted. Solutions: Nationalisation of rivers and the management of river waters should be vested the central Government so that inter-state disputes on water would not arise. Interlinking of rivers – to begin with at least the rivers in South India Political will is required for this purpose. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Bribes for building permits add to cost of construction

Pratiksha Ramkumar in Times India reported on March 15, 2013 that when Architects or contractors took up projects, they usually advised clients to keep about Rs. One lakh handy just to pay bribes. Government staff demands bribes during site inspections to process approvals and permits. Building Blocks.Online application forms and software for automatic approval have reduced waiting time and delays. Step 1 planning permission and building approval a) Apply to corporation’s town planning department and zonal executive engineer after architect gives you basic plan. BEFORE you would have invited the engineer to visit the site. Engineer would suggest changes, visit, issue permit. Required a bribe. NOW Ask licensed surveyor to certify drawing and upload it on corporation website. Software approves plan in a week and sends you an E – mail. b) Engineer studies all documents; licensed surveyor and executive engineer visit site and give approval BRIBE RS.10, 000 to RS. 20,000. Step 2 Property tax Assessment. A) Ask tax assessor to inspect plot and neighborhood. BRIBE: Rs 1,000 – Rs. 2,000 b) Revenue office issues property tax certificate with tax amount. BRIBE Rs. 10,000 – RS.20, 000. Step 3 - Electricity connection. a) Get an application form free of cost from TNEB b) Submit form with building plan approval, other documents. c) Engineer visits house to decide where to fix the electricity meter. BRIBE: Rs. 2,000 – RS.3, 000 d) Authorized engineer does wiring and issues completion certificate. BRIBE: Rs. 10,000 e) Assistant executive engineer inspects connection give final nod. BRIBE: Rs. 10,000 –RS.20, 000 Step 4 - Water connection. a) Get application form free of cost from local depot or submit online application with all documents. b) Get drawings showing plumbing work and connections certified by licensed plumber or qualified technician? BRIBE: Rs. 5,000 c) Pay water taxes and charges for the building and obtain a challan d) If property tax assessment is not done, metro water executive engineer will visit site and give order. BRIBE: RS. 5,000 e) Metro water officials and plumber connect pipe lines to main sewers and water lines. BRIBE: Rs. 10,000 –RS. 20,000. What a transparent and non-discriminatory approach in administration? God bless this country and its citizens.

Mighty F.I.R -- Police can’t delay FIR if congnisable offence is disclosed

The police must compulsorily register the First Information Report on receiving a complaint if the information discloses a cognisable offence, and no preliminary inquiry is permissible, in such a situation, the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday. If the information does not disclose a cognisable offence but indicates the necessity for an inquiry, "a preliminary inquiry may be conducted only to ascertain whether a cognisable offence is disclosed or not," said a Constitution-Bench of Chief Justice P. Sathasivam and Justices B.S. Chauhan, Ranjana Desai, Ranjan Gogoi and S.A. Bobde. Since conflicting judgments had been given by courts on the issue, the matter was referred to the five-judge Bench for an authoritative ruling. "In cases where in preliminary inquiry ends in closing of the complaint, a copy of the entry of such closure must be supplied to the first informant forthwith and not later than a week. It must also disclose reasons in brief for closing the complaint..." The Bench said: "The police officer cannot avoid his duty of registering offence, if cognisable offence is disclosed. Action must be taken against officers who do not register the FIR if the information received by him/ her discloses a cognisable offence. The scope of preliminary inquiry is not to verify ... the information but to ascertain whether it reveals any cognisable offence." As the General Diary/Station Diary/Daily Diary was the record of all information received at a police station, all information on cognisable offences, whether they resulted in registration of an FIR or led to an inquiry, must be mandatorily and meticulously reflected in it, the Bench said. Compulsory registration of the FIR was to ensure transparency not only in the criminal justice delivery sys-tern but also "judicial oversight." (November.13, 2013 Hindu) Let us hope atleast this direction of the Apex Court is seriously taken and acted upon by the police authorities without fail. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++